


The Beginning of the End

by slf630



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Barebacking, Bottom Steve Rogers, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Schmoop, Wakanda (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-04 22:50:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18822358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slf630/pseuds/slf630
Summary: Steve is in Wakanda when he gets the call.





	The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> This could be considered a loose timestamp/sequel/whatever to my fic Something Just Like This. Although reading of that fic isn't needed to keep up with this one. 
> 
> Un-beta'd, all mistakes are mine.

Bucky relaxes against the tree at his back, his eyes fluttering closed, a smile curling up his lips. Steve settles against him, his back to Bucky’s chest. Bucky wraps his arms around Steve, nuzzles behind his ear. Steve hums softly, contently, his fingers lacing with Bucky’s, their hands resting on Steve’s stomach. It’s a warm, beautiful day – just like always in Wakanda – and sitting right where he is, cuddling with Steve, sounds like a perfect way to spend the rest of the afternoon.  
  
Steve tilts his head back against Bucky’s shoulder, sighs quietly. “This is perfect,” Steve murmurs, echoing Bucky’s thoughts. It’s such a small thing but it makes Bucky extremely happy. The more time they spend together the more in tune they become, things slowly becoming more and more like the old days in a lot of ways. “Should spend the rest’a the day just like this.”  
  
Bucky presses a kiss to the curve of Steve’s neck, chuckles softly. “I was just thinking the same thing.”  
  
Steve turns his head, kisses Bucky’s jaw. Bucky opens his eyes, finds Steve looking up at him. Bucky dips down, brushes a kiss to Steve’s lips. “Or we could always spend the rest of the day like this _after_ you fuck me,” Steve damn-near whispers, his cheeks flushing pink, baby blue eyes darkening.   
  
A white-hot shot of arousal surges through Bucky’s entire body, his cock twitching, hardening, completely on board with Steve’s idea. It’s taken some time but Steve’s starting to become more and more vocal about what he likes, what he wants, even if it still makes him blush more often than not. “Fuck, doll,” Bucky groans, tightening his arms around Steve’s waist. “You tryin’ to kill me?” Steve blinks slowly, giving Bucky his best innocent smile. Bucky isn’t fooled. There’s very little about Steve that’s still innocent. “Turn around,” he instructs softly, his tone already lower, gravel-rough.  
  
Steve lets go of Bucky’s fingers and turns, straddles Bucky’s lap. He wastes no time leaning in and crushing their lips together in a heated, already needy kiss. Steve moans, sinks both hands into Bucky’s hair, hips rocking forward, his half-hard cock rubbing against Bucky’s stomach. Bucky slides his hands beneath the hem of Steve’s t-shirt, rubs up and down his back, the feel of flexing muscle beneath soft, warm skin has his cock hardening the rest of the way, a low moan rumbling in his chest.  
  
Steve pulls away from the kiss with a gasp, drops his hands to Bucky’s waist, fumbles with his shirt. “Off. Please, Buck.”  
  
Bucky quickly tugs his own shirt off, then Steve’s, barely has time to drop them before Steve is pressed against him again, hands automatically going back to their usual place in Bucky’s hair, pulling Bucky into another deep, heated kiss. Bucky can feel the desperation in every touch, in the way Steve is already shaking slightly and he totally can’t blame him, he’s feeling it too. They’ve spent the last day fucking as much as possible, trying to make up for the fact that Steve had been gone for a week, out on a mission with Sam and Nat. Bucky understands that Steve has to go, that he can’t ignore any problems that arise, and he supports Steve completely, but it’s hard on both of them when he has to go. Luckily in the two years since the fight that tore the Avengers apart there haven’t really been that many times the three of them had to leave – if it’s not something too big Sam and Nat, sometimes Wanda, will handle it without Steve. He can admit that while he hates Steve being gone – even two years later Bucky still has some left-over issues from his decades as the Winter Soldier, lapses in memory and problems with emotions, flashbacks and nightmares, and it’s all worse when Steve isn’t around to help keep him grounded – he really, _really_ enjoys their reunions, the proof that Steve loves and needs him just as much as he loves and needs Steve the thing that keeps him the most stable.   
  
Steve whines, nips at Bucky’s bottom lip and it’s only then that Bucky realizes that he’d stopped moving, too caught up in his own head. “Sorry, baby,” Bucky murmurs.  
  
“Where’d you go?” Steve asks softly, tips of his fingers absently kneading Bucky’s scalp.   
  
“Nowhere.” Steve quirks an eyebrow. “Honestly, I promise.” Steve of course knows about Bucky’s ongoing issues and has a tendency to worry himself nearly sick about it. Bucky had promised him from the start to always be honest with him about it but he still worries that Bucky will try to downplay it for his benefit. “I was just thinkin’ ‘bout you, how much I missed you.”  
  
Steve smiles, blue eyes twinkling in the mid-afternoon sun. “Mm, I missed you, too.” They’ve said that so many times in the past twenty-four hours but neither of them really care. The other times that Steve has been gone – no matter how long he’s gone for – it had taken them at least two or three days to stop pawing at each other, to stop clinging and saying ‘I love you’ and ‘I missed you’ at every turn. “Hate bein’ away from you for so long.”  
  
“I know, sweetheart. Me too.”  
  
Steve rolls his hips, drops his head, face buried in the curve of Bucky’s neck. “Need you so much, Buck,” he moans softly, sucking and kissing at Bucky’s steadily increasing pulse.   
  
Bucky curls his fingers around Steve’s hips, rocks up against him, his cock rubbing against the firm, perfect swell of Steve’s gorgeous ass. “Need you, too, baby,” he rasps, tilting his head back a bit, groaning as Steve bites along the column of his throat, scrapes his teeth over the hinge of his jaw. He rubs against Steve’s ass again, fingers flexing, digging into warm skin and firm muscle. “Feel how hard you make me?”  
  
Steve mewls, starts rolling his hips faster, rubbing his cloth-covered cock against Bucky’s stomach while making sure to keep pressure on Bucky’s. He slides his hands back, over the curve of Steve’s ass, fingers digging into the muscular globes. “Bucky,” Steve moans, soft and breathy, tilts his hips back into Bucky’s touch. “Fuck, please…”  
  
Bucky surges forward, lays Steve down on the soft, lush grass, slides his arms beneath Steve’s back, hands curling over the tops of his shoulders, hips rolling against Steve’s, their cocks pressed together through their pants. Steve’s eyes widen and he lets out a beautiful broken moan – same way he always does when Bucky shows off even a hint of his strength – back arching as he rocks his hips up, easily following Bucky’s pace and rhythm.  
  
Bucky isn’t surprised when Steve starts trembling after just a few minutes, clawing at Bucky’s back – the serum had some very interesting effects on Steve in regard to sex and orgasms, something they’ve had _a lot_ of fun figuring out. “Gonna come for me, darlin’?” Bucky murmurs, dips down and brushes a chaste kiss to Steve’s lips. Steve can merely moan in reply, thighs tightening around Bucky’s hips. “C’mon, Steve. Come for me, doll,” Bucky encourages even though he doesn’t need to.   
  
After just a handful of snaps of his hips, Steve cries out, eyes squeezing closed, fingers digging into Bucky’s back hard enough to bruise, huge body trembling even more as he comes. Bucky stops moving, tightens his arms, holds Steve against his chest as he presses kisses all over Steve’s face. It takes a minute or two for Steve to relax, eyes blinking open slowly to stare up at Bucky, a soft, beautiful smile curling up his lips. He hums contently and rubs his hands up and down Bucky’s back. “Mm, beautiful,” Bucky breathes, presses a kiss to Steve’s lips.   
  
“Buck,” Steve half-whines, half-huffs, his cheeks flushing darker, the blush creeping down his neck to his chest. It’s freaking adorable.   
  
Bucky kisses Steve once more then wiggles his way out of Steve’s grip, sits back on his heels between Steve’s spread legs. He reaches down, tips of his fingers teasing _just_ beneath the waist of Steve’s pants. Steve huffs again and tilts his hips up, silently trying to urge Bucky to continue. But Bucky is in the mood to draw this out now that Steve has had his first orgasm – the first one is usually always pretty quick, no matter what they’re doing. Ever since Steve got back yesterday every time has been rushed, both of them so desperate, unable to even think about taking their time. And while Bucky may still be pretty desperate – that feeling never truly goes away completely – it’s not as bad as it has been.  
  
“Easy, sweetheart,” Bucky murmurs, leaning over, kissing along Steve’s collarbone, up his neck, lips hovering over his ear. “Wanna take my time, drive you fuckin’ crazy. Make you come again for me ‘fore I fuck you.”  
  
“Buck,” Steve groans, fingers sliding into Bucky’s hair again, curling into a loose fist in the long, already sweat-damp strands – honestly if it wasn’t for how much Steve loves his long hair Bucky would have cut it off a while ago – his still mostly-hard cock jerking against Bucky’s stomach.  
  
“Like the sound’a that, doll?” Bucky drags his tongue up Steve’s neck, over his thundering pulse, nips at the sensitive skin beneath Steve’s ear.   
  
“Please,” Steve damn-near whispers.  
  
Bucky lifts his head, their gazes locking for a moment before he dips down again, crashing their lips together. Steve moans into the kiss, opens easily when Bucky nudges the seam of his lips. It takes just a few seconds for the kiss to turn messy, heated, needy. It takes all of his will power and strength to pull away after a few long minutes, dropping another chaste kiss to Steve’s lips when he pouts up at him.  
  
He sits back up and undoes Steve’s pants, pulls them down and off those long, muscular, gorgeous legs, tossing them blindly over his shoulder. Steve is bare underneath – they’d both only pulled on the minimum amount of clothes they could get away with before leaving their hut; if there wasn’t the real possibility of running into one of the villagers or one of the kids they wouldn’t have even gotten dressed at all – and even though Bucky already knew that, seeing Steve laid out naked and beautiful, cock still hard, has a fresh wave of heat rolling over him, his own rock-hard cock straining against his pants.  
  
Bucky drags both hands down Steve’s chest, his abs, fingers tracing the cut of firm, thick muscles, his mouth watering at the thought of tasting every last inch. “God, baby,” he breathes, leans down, kisses Steve’s pec, laves his tongue across his nipple. Steve moans, throws his arms over his head, back arching, pushing his chest up into Bucky’s touch. “So beautiful, so perfect,” the words smear against Steve’s skin, “Love you so much, Steve.”  
  
“Love you, too.”  
  
Bucky kisses his way further down Steve’s chest, staring up the long line of Steve’s body. When he gets to Steve’s abs, Steve pushes himself up onto his elbows, their gazes locking. Steve licks his lips, bites down on the bottom one, muscles of his perfect six-pack quivering and flexing beneath Bucky’s tongue and lips. Bucky moves to the side, bites and sucks a deep mark into the thin skin covering Steve’s hipbone – the mark will fade within hours but he doesn’t care; that just gives him an excuse to do it again – then licks across his groin, makes a matching mark on the other side. Steve’s cock twitches, already leaking again but Bucky forces himself to continue to ignore it for the moment. He presses his hands to the insides of Steve’s thighs, Steve automatically spreading his legs wider, eyes darkening even more. Bucky scoots back a bit, kisses down the inside of Steve’s thigh to his knee then switches to the other side, kisses his way back up, his gaze still locked on Steve’s. He slides his hands beneath Steve’s ass, lifts him a bit off the ground, pulls open the cheeks of his ass. Steve moans harshly when he dips down, drags his tongue over Steve’s hole. He’s still open from where they did this just a couple hours ago and it makes Bucky groan, pushing his face in deeper, his tongue wiggling into Steve, catching a slight taste of his own release. He groans again, the sound vibrating through Steve.   
  
“Oh fuck,” Steve gasps, his eyes fluttering closed as he tosses his head back, muscles along his shoulders, down his arms, flexing to keep him up on his elbows.  
  
Bucky swirls his tongue around Steve’s rim, dips inside, chasing every hint of his own flavor. Steve is shaking again by the time Bucky pulls away, his chest heaving as he pants. “Still open from earlier, baby,” he rasps, his fingers digging into the soft insides of Steve’s thighs. He leans forward, unable to resist the sweat-slick line of Steve’s arched throat, kissing and biting up to his jaw. Steve lifts his head, turns toward Bucky, blindly seeking his lips. “Can still taste myself inside you,” Bucky adds, words smeared against Steve’s lips, biting down on the bottom one before kissing Steve, wet and messy.  
  
Pulling away from the addictive slide of their lips and tongues is even more difficult than the last time but Bucky somehow manages. He moves back, settles on his stomach between Steve’s spread legs, teases two fingers around the rim of Steve’s spit-slick rim. Steve’s lips part softly, eyes even darker than before – so dark he can barely see any of the beautiful baby blue – his cock jerking, smearing pre-come across his abs. It doesn’t take hardly any pressure to sink them inside Steve, a low, deep moan escaping Steve’s lips. Bucky pushes his fingers in as deep as possible, quirks them, rubs along the smooth inner walls, finding Steve’s sweet spot almost immediately. Bucky keeps constant pressure on the sensitive gland as he licks a thick, wet stripe up the underside of Steve’s cock.   
  
“Buck,” Steve breathes, his eyes fluttering closed again as his head tips back.  
  
Even though Steve isn’t looking at him anymore, Bucky can’t tear his eyes away. Steve is always beautiful in his eyes – always has been – but like this, so lost in pleasure, so completely _his_ , he’s beyond breathtakingly gorgeous.  
  
Bucky pulls his fingers out then thrusts them back in, wrist twisting, rubbing along his prostate. He repeats the move a few more times then slides his lips over the leaking tip of Steve’s cock, taking him as deep as possible, head hitting the back of his throat. He swallows a few times then lifts his head, hollowing his cheeks, tongue dragging along underside, teasing the bundle of nerves beneath the ridge, chases after the sweet-salty tang of pre-come, tip of his tongue digging into the slit. It doesn’t take long at all to settle into a rhythm, bobbing his head as he fucks his fingers into Steve, using every little trick he knows drives Steve crazy.  
  
“Bucky,” Steve gasps as he lifts his head back up, his eyes reopening. He twists his hips, legs spreading wider, cock jerking, leaking almost continuously. “Gonna…” Steve trails off when Bucky slides a third finger into him, pushes them in deep, rubs back and forth over Steve’s sweet spot at the same time as he takes Steve’s cock in as far as he can, humming around the long, thick length. “Oh _fuck_ …”  
  
Steve’s arms give out and he collapses back onto the grass. He cries out, back arching, hips jerking up just slightly, his cock pulsing as he comes for the second time. Bucky works him through it, swallows every last drop, only pulling away when Steve lets out a grunt, twists his hips again. He carefully pulls his fingers out of Steve, brushing a kiss to his hipbone when he makes a soft, unhappy noise. Steve blinks owlishly at him when Bucky crawls up his lax body, settles down at his side, one hand rubbing over his stomach, other hand carding through his sweat-damp hair. Steve tilts his chin up, lips pursing, silently asking for a kiss. Bucky chuckles fondly and complies of course. Steve hums contently, wiggles just a little closer, their legs tangled together, as they kiss slow and lazy. Bucky’s entire body is starting to tremble a little, his cock _throbbing_ , but there is no way he’d ever rush Steve.  
  
Bucky kind of loses track of how long they lie there trading increasingly heated kisses. He’s calmed down a bit, no longer feels like he’s about to vibrate out of his skin but then Steve rolls toward him a bit more, one hand sliding between them to palm the straining length of Bucky’s cock. Just that small touch is enough to work him right back up. “Fuck,” he moans into the kiss, his arm sliding around Steve’s waist to pull him even closer.   
  
“Want you inside me,” Steve breathes. “Now, Buck.”  
  
There is no way in hell he can resist that.  
  
With the amount of sex they’ve have in the past twenty-four or so hours, along with the bit of fingering, Steve doesn’t need any additional prep – and no doubt doesn’t want any, he enjoys the burning stretch. Seeing as they haven’t been able to keep their hands off each other, Bucky has taken to carrying lube with him everywhere they go – they learned quickly after the first time Steve had to leave to always have some on-hand just in case.   
  
Bucky pulls away from the kiss, groaning softly when Steve reaches down and undoes his pants, immediately pushing one hand inside the open flaps, fingers curling around his cock. “Baby,” Bucky rasps, his eyes squeezing closed, his forehead pressing against Steve’s, barely able to keep from coming right then and there. Steve reaches into Bucky’s pocket with the other hand, pulls out the small bottle of lube, tilts his head, sliding their lips together again as he slicks Bucky’s cock. Bucky’s fingers dig into Steve’s waist, his hips rocking forward into Steve’s loose fist. “Steve…”  
  
Steve pulls away and rolls fully onto his back again, staring up at Bucky expectantly. Bucky swallows thickly and squirms out of his pants then settles between Steve’s legs. Left arm braced next to Steve’s head to hold his weight, fingers sinking into Steve’s hair, Bucky reaches between them, right hand guiding himself. Their gazes lock and Bucky pushes forward, both of them moaning as he sinks into Steve, not stopping until he’s buried to the hilt.   
  
He barely pauses before settling right into a familiar pace and rhythm. He grips Steve’s thigh with his right hand, hiking Steve’s leg up higher. Steve moans, his arms wrapping around Bucky, fingers digging into his back, his still-hard cock trapped between the press of their stomachs. It feels fucking amazing – but then again it _always_ feels amazing, each time seemingly better than the last – and as much as he’d love to draw it out even more, spend _hours_ just like this, there’s no way in hell that’s even remotely possible. That’s the only real drawback about teasing Steve. He ends up teasing himself just as much.  
  
“So fuckin’ good, sweetheart,” Bucky pants. Steve moans harshly when Bucky changes the angle a bit on the next thrust, obviously nailing his prostate. “Not gonna last…”  
  
“’s okay,” Steve rasps. “’m right there with ya.”  
  
He can admit it’s one hell of a boost to his ego that he can obviously make Steve feel so much pleasure. “You gonna come again for me already, doll?” Bucky murmurs. Steve moans in response, clinging to Bucky’s shoulders, hips rocking up to meet him thrust for thrust. “Want me to touch you or you just want this?”  
  
“Just this,” Steve breathes, his cock jerking between their stomachs. “Just need you.”  
  
And _that_ is an even bigger ego boost, not to mention all manner of hot. He’s seen it countless times – it’s Steve’s favorite way to come and he does it as often as possible – but it always mesmerizes him. It also tests his stamina like nothing else – which is saying something because pretty much everything Steve does tests his stamina in some way.   
  
Bucky hikes Steve’s leg up a bit higher, picks up the pace a bit, slamming into Steve hard, fast, deep, angle perfect to hit his sweet spot. “C’mon, Steve,” he half-begs, half-commands. “Do it. Come for me, baby.”  
  
“Gonna… Oh God. So close, babe.” He digs his fingers into Bucky’s shoulders, huge body starting to shake. “Don’t stop. Just like that, Buck…”   
  
Bucky clenches his jaw, metal fingers curling into a fist in Steve’s longer than usual hair, using every ounce of self-control he can still muster. Thankfully after a handful of thrusts, Steve cries out – almost a sob really – short fingernails dragging down Bucky’s back as he comes – from the feel of it, his third orgasm nearly dry – inner muscles fluttering around Bucky. He has no hope of holding out even a few more seconds, his own orgasm hitting him a mere heartbeat behind Steve. Bucky groans, pushes in deep, hips jerking erratically.  
  
He lets go of Steve’s leg and collapses against his chest, face buried in the sweaty curve of Steve’s neck. Steve sighs contently, turns his head and brushes a kiss to Bucky’s temple. They lie there, tangled together, for a while – long after Bucky’s softened length slips from Steve’s body – sweat and come dried, both of them half-dozing, just content to hold each other.   
  
Eventually Bucky pulls his head back, drops a kiss on Steve’s lips. “C’mon,” he urges softly as he gets up, holding a hand out to Steve.  
  
Steve takes his hand, smiling when Bucky tugs him up and leads him to the small lake. They wade out just far enough so the water is to their shoulders, Bucky pulling Steve into his arms. They stay in the warm water for a while, clinging to each other, kissing slow and lazy. After probably an hour, Bucky leads Steve back out of the lake and once again settles against the tree, Steve between his legs, his back to Bucky’s chest, exactly how they were before.  
  
Steve’s eyes are closed, his head tipped back against Bucky’s shoulder but Bucky can tell he’s not asleep – although a nap doesn’t sound like a terrible idea at the moment. He tilts his head forward, kisses along Steve’s shoulder. He’s about to suggest heading back to their hut – it’s well past lunch and he’s getting a bit hungry – but before he can Steve’s phone rings. They both jerk in surprise, Steve turning around to look at him, his eyes wide. Sam and Nat are in the palace with T’Challa and Steve just talked to Wanda a few days ago and she was fine. Those are the only people who call Steve.  
  
He can’t explain why but a sense of dread fills his stomach. Steve reaches out and grabs his pants, frowning when he checks the display on his phone. “Steve?”  
  
“It’s the phone I sent to Tony after what happened in Siberia,” Steve replies quietly, his eyes still wide but full of panic when he glances back to Bucky.  
  
“We both know he wouldn’t call for no reason, Steve,” Bucky points out, just as quietly. The dread grows, his stomach twisting unpleasantly, his heart hammering in his chest.  
  
“Tony?” Steve answers, automatically putting it on speaker so Bucky can hear as well.  
  
“Cap?”  
  
Steve’s frown grows, his brow furrowed. Bucky may not know Stark all that well but it’s more than obvious that that isn’t his voice. “Yeah,” Steve replies.  
  
“Oh thank God…”  
  
“Bruce?!”   
  
“Yeah, it’s me…”  
  
“Shit, where the hell have you been? Are you okay? Are you with Tony?”  
  
“There isn’t a lot of time to explain, Cap. But no, I’m not with Tony… Tony’s gone, Thor too…”  
  
“What?” Steve breathes, tears filling his eyes. Bucky wraps his arms around Steve’s waist, holds him against his chest.  
  
“Like I said, not a lot of time. I’ll explain everything, I promise. But not now. Do you know where Vision is?”  
  
“Not right offhand but I can find him.”  
  
“Good, you need to and you need to do it as quickly as possible. We have to protect him, the mind stone…”  
  
“Bruce, at least tell me what’s going on, why we need to worry about the stone.”  
  
“His name’s Thanos and he’s real bad news, Cap. He was the one who sent Loki, the battle in New York. He’s trying to collect all the infinity stones and if he does, he’ll wipe out half the universe.”  
  
“Shit,” Steve breathes.  
  
“Like I said, Thor’s gone and now probably Tony too. We gotta stop him.”  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Steve clears his throat, closes his eyes, a few tears breaking free. Bucky reaches up and gently wipes them away. Steve leans heavier against his chest and Bucky can feel him shaking. “We’ll find Vision as soon as possible then we’ll come to you.”  
  
“Okay, I’ll head to the Tower…”  
  
“Uh, no, that’s not… There’s a compound now, upstate. Uh, call Rhodey, he can come get you or give you directions, either way.”  
  
“Yeah, okay, I will. Hurry, Cap.”  
  
Once the call ends, Steve takes a shuddering breath, reopens his eyes, more tears trickling down his cheeks. “Buck…”  
  
“Hey, hey, shh,” Bucky murmurs, tightening his arms around Steve, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s okay. You guys’ll find Vision and kick ass like always…”  
  
“But if he already took out Thor and Tony…” Steve’s voice breaks and he turns his head, buries his face in the curve of Bucky’s neck.  
  
“It sounds like they were on their own, doll,” Bucky points out softly, rubbing his hand up and down Steve’s back. “You guys won’t have that problem, you’ll be together. And you’re all stronger when you’re together.” He closes his eyes, inhales deeply. “And I’ll be with you too,” he adds softly.  
  
They both agreed after Bucky came out of cryo this time that he was done fighting. Neither of them worried that the Winter Soldier might still be there buried inside his brain anymore – Shuri’s deprogramming was completely successful – but Bucky doesn’t want to fight anymore and Steve doesn’t want him to either. Granted, sitting back and doing nothing, being left behind to wait while Steve is out there is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do but it’s been right up until this point. He can’t justify sitting this one out though.  
  
Steve pulls back enough to look at him, shakes his head. “No, Bucky. No way in hell. I’m not risking something happening to you.”  
  
“Something could happen to you,” Bucky points out.  
  
“Buck, please?” Steve whispers, more tears falling. “I can’t…”  
  
Bucky takes a shuddering breath, his eyes burning, throat tight. “Okay,” he rasps. “I don’t…” He trails off, grabs both sides of Steve’s face, looks deep into those beautiful blue eyes he loves so much. “It’s just a rescue mission, right? Just going to get Vision so this Thanos doesn’t get the stone?” He honestly has no idea what the hell _any_ of that means.   
  
“Yeah,” Steve whispers, flashing him a small, sad smile. They both know it’s more than that but neither of them are going to point it out.   
  
“Alright,” Bucky whispers back, nods, a few tears of his own breaking free. “You go. Be a hero but be safe, okay? I want your ass back here in a few days, Rogers.”  
  
Steve lets out a wet, half-chuckle. “Yes sir,” he rasps.  
  
They get up, get dressed in silence. Steve goes easily when Bucky pulls him back into his arms, their lips sliding together, the kiss flavored with tears. He pulls away after a few moments, aware that Steve needs to hurry. “I love you,” he murmurs.   
  
“I love you, too.”  
  
Watching Steve walk away is hard every time but this time it’s excruciating.   
  
******  
  
Steve’s been gone two days.   
  
Bucky has thrown himself into his work around the farm, helping others once his own chores are done but it hasn’t stopped him from worrying every second about Steve, his friends.   
  
He looks up, sees T’Challa, Okoye and a few guards heading his way, one of them carrying a familiar case. He wants to say he’s surprised but he really isn’t. If he feels like being honest with himself this is what he expected all along.  
  
“Where’s the fight?” he asks as he looks into the case at the finished vibranium arm. It’s not all that different than the prototype that he’s been wearing for the last two years.  
  
“On its way,” T’Challa replies quietly. He glances at Okoye and the guards, all of them taking a few steps back, giving them a bit of privacy. “Captain Rogers called,” he goes on and while things are still _really_ fucking bad, at least Steve is still alive. He can take some comfort in that. And he knows Steve well enough to know that he wouldn’t bring the fight here if he didn’t have to. “They are a few hours out.”  
  
“Were they able to find Vision?”  
  
“Yes, he is with them, along with Wanda, Dr. Banner and Col. Rhodes. In addition to the arm, we have a uniform for you as well. You can come back with us to the palace to get ready.”  
  
Bucky nods, grabs the case with his new arm and follows behind the others, caught up in his own thoughts. He’s definitely looking forward to seeing Steve with his own two eyes, making sure that he really is okay but he knows damn-well that things are about to get really fucking bad really fucking soon.


End file.
